


Vanquishing the Dragon

by Fire_Bear



Series: FrUK Spring Festival 2017 [5]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Best Friends, Day 4, Dragons, First Kiss, FrUKSpringFestival2k17, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Knights - Freeform, Knights and Dragons, M/M, Misunderstandings, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-29 16:44:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10858020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: Arthur has always wanted to become a knight - no matter what his best friend, Francis says. But he'll show him how much stronger he become as a knight! All he has to do is vanquish a nearby dragon and that will prove himself.





	Vanquishing the Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> I think Francis may be a little OOC? Maybe. It could be just that I’ve been thinking about this one too much.

For as long as Arthur could remember, he'd wanted to become a knight. He remembered the stories his mother read to him at night. Their farm seemed to be on the edge of creation compared to the world the stories painted. Every single knight and prince in them sounded like incredible people and Arthur wanted to be remembered as something other than the fourth son of a farmer. Since he was evidently not a prince, he would have to be a knight.

The gentler stories of fairies and princesses, where violence didn't seem necessary, also fascinated him and, when he wasn't helping his mother in the kitchen or herb garden, he would climb the fence and escape to the nearby wood. There, he would call out to any magical creature who would listen to come talk with him. Imagine his surprise when he met fairies and pixies and even a unicorn. They all loved him and he loved them, often playing with them.

Unfortunately, not all fairies were the nice sort and he had almost been taken by them more than once. On one particular day, he had been saved by a boy his own age who had been passing and rushed to help. He was a pretty boy, all softness and finery and Arthur decided he must have been a noble from the large town nearby. His name was Francis and he seemed to be fascinated with Arthur. In turn, Arthur enjoyed spending time with Francis and they soon became fast friends.

Only when Arthur told him, one day, of his dream to become a knight, did they begin to argue. Francis insisted that it was not a good idea. Arthur retorted that he couldn't tell him what to do. It escalated into shoving and Arthur hurt his wrist when Francis shoved him too hard. He hadn't told his parents what had happened when they bandaged it, merely saying he had been careless and fallen. Francis had been grateful and they quickly made up.

Despite their differences, they continued to be friends, even taking trips into town to enjoy themselves at the markets. They seemed to grow closer and closer as they grew older, Francis's flirtatious nature making Arthur squirm. Young women flocked to both of them but neither of them did more than take them for romantic walks. Arthur was far less interested in them than Francis was and preferred spending his time with his friend.

Eventually, though, he reached the age where he could travel to the capital to undergo training. Francis tried once more to stop him. "I don't think it's a good idea," he told Arthur. "I can't come with you, you know. What will happen to you if you can't make any friends?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arthur demanded as he slung his pack onto his back once more. He had already said his farewells to his parents and had made sure to meet Francis in their usual clearing to say goodbye. "Are you trying to say that I won't be able to make friends?"

Francis eyed him. "You don't have many friends, Arthur. I don't want you to be alone in the city."

"I'm not going there to make friends," Arthur told him, sternly. "I'm going to train and be knighted. Don't worry: I'll write you. Speaking of which, are you finally going to tell me where you live?"

Nervously glancing away, Francis said, "If you send them to your parents, I'll be able to pick them up."

"Fine," grumbled Arthur, eyes narrowing. For all he knew about Francis, there was a lot Francis refused to tell him. Such as where he lived: Arthur knew by now that he didn't live in their local town or any of the surrounding villages but Francis refused to tell him where he'd appeared from. Arthur often worried that he was living in the small wood or even in the forest beyond the town, all alone. He also didn't know where his parents were or how his hair looked so perfect whenever he appeared, even if he had to push through leafy bushes to reach Arthur.

"I know that I can't change your mind," Francis suddenly said. "But please don't change."

Arthur frowned at him. "What are you talking about? Of course I won't change. Just you wait!" he added, smiling at Francis. "In a couple of years, I'll be a knight! And I'll come back to you on-on a white horse with shining armour and-" _I'll save you from whatever you don't want me to know about_.

"That's what I'm afraid of..." Francis mumbled. Before Arthur could get angry or ask what he meant, Francis gave him a fond smile and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'll miss you," he said quietly, squeezing Arthur lightly. "Don't forget to come back to me."

"I won't," Arthur assured him, his heart swelling in his chest. "I'll never forget you."

* * *

During the next few years, Arthur kept his promise, sending Francis a letter every week. He didn't always get a reply as Francis apparently didn't often emerge from wherever he hid to collect them. Their friendship was something he was careful to keep as Arthur underwent a rigorous education in what it meant to be a knight and how to fight. However, they probably weren't as close as they had been, especially when Arthur's training went on longer than he had expected. In fact, it was three years later when Arthur was finally knighted and another year of small-time missions before he was finally given one which meant that he could return home.

He was excited for two reasons. For one, his mission was to face off against a dragon which had been spotted in the mountain behind his farm. It was said to have kidnapped women from the nearby town, most of them blondes though it had also taken a few redheads. People were scared and his parents had even written to tell him how worried they were that the dragon would chase away business and leave them struggling. The other reason he was excited to be undertaking the mission was that he'd finally be able to see Francis again, to show off his armour even if it wasn't all that shiny, to show Francis how much he had grown and that there wasn't anything wrong with him being a knight.

Wanting his arrival to be a surprise for his friend, he didn't tell him in his letters and forbade his parents from saying anything. His entire family were, reportedly, delighted to see him and he stopped off at the farm before he ventured towards the mountain. They gathered around him when he swung himself off the horse, his younger brothers crowding him excitedly and his older siblings looking rather amused.

"Well, well," said Andrew with a teasing grin. "Look who's come to town."

"We're not even in town," Arthur retorted. He turned to his horse – whom he'd named Minty – and patted her nose. "Let me just take care of-"

"I'll do that," David said, quickly. "Mum and Dad have been  _dying_ to see you."

Arthur laughed, happy to see how excited they all were. "All right. Be careful with her – she's served me well and I don't want to treat her badly."

"I know how to handle horses, Art!" David protested, though he laughed as well.

Peter was excitedly asking Arthur questions as he began to remove his armour so he could sit at the dinner table. Patrick was kindly taking the gauntlets Arthur managed to strip off but he had the feeling that Patrick really just wanted to try them on. Sean was begrudgingly holding doors open as they entered their cramped house. His parents were asking him what he wanted to eat and drink. Andrew ruffled his hair as he passed his eldest brother. None of them seemed to take their eyes off him and Arthur felt like a hero, just like in those stories.

Everyone chattered gaily as they sat down for dinner once Arthur had removed his armour completely. Patrick ended up wearing his gauntlets while Peter was eating through his helmet, the visor constantly slamming down whenever he moved. With Arthur's heart swelling, he decided to ask about his friend. It had been a while since he'd replied to anything he'd sent but that would only make the surprise of his appearance more shocking, he felt.

"So," he said. "How has Francis been?"

The happy atmosphere vanished, broken only by the ridiculous slamming of the visor. His family looked at each other. "We, well..." said his mother. "We haven't seen him for a while. We're not sure where he is."

"Maybe he's travelling as well," suggested Andrew with an encouraging smile.

Shaking his head, Arthur laid down his cutlery, no longer hungry. "He would have told me something like that..." he said with a frown.

"I'm sure he's fine," his father told him. "You're not children any more and I know you can both take care of yourselves. You'll see him before you have to leave again."

"I hope so..." Arthur murmured. Somehow, learning that Francis was missing made him feel anxious for the following day and his confrontation with the dragon. Would he survive this mission in order to see his friend once more?

* * *

Bright and early the next morning, Arthur ignored his nerves and pulled on his helmet. He saddled his horse and said his farewells to his family who wished him luck and told him to be careful. Then he easily swung up onto his horse, checked his sword was in its place and rode to the north. His destination meant that he passed through the wood he had always met Francis in: he was nowhere to be seen.

After passing through the wood, Arthur rode over the plains and rocky terrain leading up to the base of the mountain. As Minty picked her way over the rocks, Arthur surveyed the mountain, easily spotting the cave the reports had said the dragon flew into. Unfortunately for Arthur, there was no way for a horse to get up there and even the small path which wound its way upwards gave out in several places. It looked as though he was going to have to climb at some points.

So he left Minty at the bottom, setting out a bowl filled with water and a bag of oats. Then, making sure he had everything he needed, he sidled up the path, clinging to the stone face in front of him. When he was several feet below the cave, he found he had to climb vertically to reach it. With his armour weighing him down and threatening to overbalance him, it was slow going. But he eventually crested the edge of the cave and hauled himself onto a smooth, stone surface, breathing heavily.

When he'd finally caught his breath, Arthur pulled himself to his feet. It was now afternoon and the sun illuminated the first yard or so of the cave. Beyond that... Arthur squinted. Somehow, he could dimly see the empty cavern beyond. Looking at the walls, he noticed that there were torches flickering there.

There was no sign of the dragon.

The very back of the cave was covered in darkness and Arthur wondered if, perhaps, the dragon lived further in; this was probably just the entranceway. So, drawing his sword, he edged forward, wishing that his armour didn't make so much noise. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be enough noise to wake a dragon since nothing happened as he took a few steps in. Squinting into the darkness, he continued on, only stopping when he heard a faint noise from outside. He paused and listened, wondering what it was.

To him, it sounded like the flapping of tents in a high wind.

Realisation dawned and he hurriedly flung himself to the wall, falling to one knee in order to minimise his visibility. Then he turned his head and watched the dragon returning to its lair. It was a huge brute; even from this distance, it was clearly too big to comfortably live in what Arthur had seen of the cave so far. However, its scales shone in the sun, a beautiful shade of blue that made it look as though it was made of sapphires. They reminded Arthur of Francis and he bit his lip, still worried for his friend.

It banked and turned, coming in for a landing – and seemingly growing all the while. Arthur shuffled backwards and pressed himself against the wall as much as possible. Then the creature alighted, its claws sinking into the stone to steady itself as it folded its massive wings. Its head nosed its way in, its nostrils flaring and smoking slightly. As the head moved past him, Arthur caught sight of its expression: it seemed sad and Arthur's heart suddenly went out to it. Then he mentally shook himself and reminded himself of the kidnappings it was said to have done. Freeing its front claws, the crouching dragon began to move into the cave properly on all fours, its tail lashing around behind it for balance. With its movement, Arthur realised its neck was bared and it was a perfect target for him. Gripping his sword tightly, he slowly stood.

That alerted the dragon to his presence, its head whipping around to stare at Arthur. Suppressing his instinctual fear, Arthur declared, "I am here for your head, monster! You have taken enough of our maidens and I will not allow you-"

Before Arthur finished talking, the dragon roared. The force of the noise had Arthur swaying backwards, pressed into the wall once more. Then it reached out a massive forearm and batted Arthur further into the cave. He slammed into the back wall with enough force that his breath was knocked out of him. His helmet banged into his nose; Arthur could feel the blood and the pain but he wasn't sure if it was broken. He  _was_ aware that his helmet had bent with the force, the visor now far too low for him to see clearly. Quickly, he removed it and threw it aside, using the back of his hand to mop up some of the blood. Then he readied himself for the next attack, sword raised in trembling hands.

With a beautiful grace despite its size and the cramped space, the dragon surged forwards, coming straight for Arthur. Swinging his sword, Arthur met the dragon's claw with his blade. It made little difference: the dragon's claw grabbed him and his weapon clattered to the ground. He struggled, squirmed, kicked his legs as the dragon turned and carried him to the entrance. If the dragon were to simply drop him from the mouth of the cave, he would definitely die from the fall. The dragon growled as he quickly reached its destination and raised its hand. Then it paused, staring at Arthur as he, in turn, stared, wide-eyed, at the last creature he would see before he died.

" _Arthur_ ?" came a familiar voice and Arthur stilled, confused.

"F-Francis?!" he cried, twisting as much as possible, trying to peer around the bulk of the dragon. "Is that you?"

" _Yes, it's- Why are you here_ ?"

"Well, clearly, I'm here to save you from the... dragon..." Arthur trailed off as he realised that the dragon hadn't moved since Francis started speaking. Then it shuffled backwards, away from his certain death.

" _I rather think that's not needed_ ," Francis said, dryly.

"Where are you?" Arthur demanded, squirming in the dragon's hold once again. "I can't see you. What's going on?"

" _Wait a moment_ ."

And, suddenly, the dragon was lowering him to the floor of the cave. Arthur staggered away from it, pressing against the wall once again, watching it warily. But, instead of hitting him again, the dragon shrank away from him, twisting its tail into its body and pressing its wings tighter against its back. Arthur expected it to sit still once it had done so but, instead, it  _kept shrinking_ . It seemed to twist and tremble as it did so, a high whine sounding. Smoke poured from its nostrils more than ever. Then the scales fell away, disappearing in the air to reveal smooth pale skin beneath, the tail and wings merging with its body until it seemed far more humanoid. Finally, it shrunk to about the same size as Arthur, hair rapidly growing from its scalp – familiar blond hair which cascaded to its shoulders in golden waves. Its eyes had been squeezed shut as it transformed and it finally opened them to reveal eyes the same colour as its scales had been. Somehow, the transformation had included clothes, the dragon now wearing the fancy waistcoat, shirt and trousers that had become very familiar over time.

Arthur stared. " _Francis_ ?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes. It's me." And Francis smiled, something Arthur hadn't seen in years, something he hadn't realised he missed seeing. His heart seemed to flutter and the breath caught in his throat.

"But- You-" Arthur weakly managed to say.

Francis clasped his hands behind his back and stared at his smart shoes, unsuitable for running around a wood. "I'd heard about you," he said, quietly. "The fairies talked about you. I came to see you for myself..."

He didn't know quite what to say to the idea that he was famous between magical creatures so he decided to discuss a more immediate problem. "Why are you  _kidnapping_ people?!" he demanded. "No-one was kidnapped before."

"What?" said Francis, finally looking at him properly with a frown. "I'm not kidnapping anyone. All I've- Oh."

"'Oh', what?"

"I've- I, er... I missed you," Francis murmured with a sigh.

The words sent a pang of pleasure through Arthur's chest even as he fought to keep the worry from his face. Instead, he nodded and, once he'd gotten his emotions under control, he gave Francis a small smile. "I've missed you, too. Especially since you've stopped returning my letters recently."

"I apologise," Francis was quick to say, stepping towards Arthur. He stopped when Arthur tensed, though, rocking back and forth on his feet. "I missed you so much that I sought companionship."

Arthur tried in vain to force the sharp stab of jealousy away. "I see," he said as he folded his arms with a quiet clang.

"Sometimes, to find some time alone to talk-"

" _Talk_ .  _Right_ ."

"I assure you," said Francis firmly, sounding annoyed, "it was only talking. I brought them here. And then I made sure they got home."

For a moment, Arthur continued frowning. Then he remembered something and blinked. "Those girls... blonde and redheads... Did the redheads have green eyes, perchance?"

Francis's cheeks turned pink. "Perchance."

"I see," said Arthur, smiling at his boots. He was sure he was also blushing but he made sure his head was ducked. Then a thought occurred to him and he grimaced. "My mission is to vanquish the dragon stealing young women from the nearby town."

"I'm not stealing them!" Francis exclaimed. Arthur opened his mouth to reply but Francis cut him off with a dismayed cry. "I'm not! I wouldn't, not now that I've- This is exactly what I was afraid would happen when you became a knight!" Suddenly, he seemed to deflate. "But... But if you must kill me to-"

"Would you shut up for a moment?!" Arthur demanded, putting his hands on his hips. "If you're not kidnapping them, then there's no problem!"

Blinking, Francis tilted his head. "Really? You would put your position in jeopardy to protect me?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "A knight is to protect the inhabitants of their realm from those who wish to do them harm. You don't want to hurt anyone – clearly – and you're an inhabitant of the realm so I'm  _supposed_ to protect you, dolt. Besides... I will never hurt you. And, next time, I'll make sure to check before I go charging in." He lifted a hand to his nose and winced.

"Ah, allow me." Francis moved closer, obviously being cautious. Arthur smiled and let him come, wondering what he was about to do. The dragon stopped when he was close enough and slowly reached for his face. Arthur stepped closer to make it easier. Gently, Francis rested the tips of his fingers against Arthur's nose; he forced himself not to flinch back when pain lanced through his head. With a whispered, foreign word, the pain suddenly vanished and he felt at ease. Just as gently, Francis began to wipe away the blood with the sleeve of his shirt.

"I can't believe you were a dragon all this time and you never told me," Arthur murmured.

"Dragons... don't tend to make friends. We guard our hearts closely so we're quite solitary creatures. You were a novelty to begin with but... I didn't want to lose you."

Reaching up to stop Francis's ministrations, Arthur said, "You wouldn't." He slid his fingers from Francis's forearm to his hand, gripping it tightly. "Of course you wouldn't. I always intended to come back for you, you know. I thought something terrible was happening to you when you wouldn't tell me where you came from. I was determined to rescue you from whatever was bothering you."

"You should have stayed," Francis whispered, twisting his hand so they could link their fingers together.

"Since you wouldn't tell me, I thought you believed me too weak to help." Arthur glanced around the cave before returning his gaze to Francis. "Evidently, I was correct."

They subsided into silence, watching each other. Francis began to use his free hand to stroke Arthur's hair. Arthur slowly slid his hand over Francis's shoulder until he could twirl a strand of his soft hair between thumb and forfinger. Neither of them moved any closer, though Arthur could feel that something was being pulled taut. Finally, Francis broke the silence.

"Will you leave?"

"Not for the moment," Arthur told him. "I've earned a holiday by vanquishing the 'evil' dragon, haven't I?"

Francis chuckled and trailed his hand down Arthur's face to cup his jaw. Then, with a quick questioning look, Francis leaned in. Arthur was only a little shorter than Francis but he still raised himself onto the tips of his toes to meet Francis in a kiss, his hand sliding to grip more of Francis's golden locks. It was fairly chaste compared to some of the kisses he had seen in his travels but it was more than enough. Something seemed to spread through him, making him tingle and his heart swell with happiness and love.

It made Arthur want to stay by Francis's side for far longer than just a holiday.

**Author's Note:**

> There was supposed to be a whole conversation about Francis having already given Arthur his heart or something (like, it was his mission to bring he heart back or something) but it didn’t flow like that so...


End file.
